Speculative Fiction book reviews by Spike Gelato

A Year in Review: 2016

I committed to reading more this year and was very happy with the results. I read some great standalones, series starters, and series finales in 2016. Here are six of my favorites:

“Buoyed by a strong third act filled with twists and monumental confrontations, the Age of Myth tells a satisfying tale that I would be interested in revisiting in the future…” see full review here.

“…City of Blades is an excellent sequel. It’s not just a retread of the first book. It builds and expands on themes we saw before, changes the setting, spotlights different characters, dials down the melodrama, and turns up the mystery.” see full review here.

Sleeping Giants presents a compelling mystery that is unspooled through interview transcripts and other unconventional narrative means. Intrigue abounds and the ending has me looking forward to the upcoming sequel.

“…author Ian Tregillis continues his brilliant alternate history tale with a tense build-up and an explosive payoff…this is a deeply satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite series of all time.” see full review here.

“Frederic S. Durbin creates a setting filled with such beautiful imagery that opening the book felt like being transported to the nameless countryside each and every time. He writes a simple, yet profound story that I enjoyed immensely.” see full review here.

“…this was a gripping, edge-of-your-seat, popcorn movie thriller that easily positions itself as one of my favorite books of 2016.” see full review here.

One regret I have from 2016 was not reading enough books authored by women (as evidenced by a lack of representation in my top 6 list). My total 2016 reading split was 77% male-authored vs. 23% female-authored. I would like to close the gap in those percentages in 2017.

Speaking of 2017, here is a list of works I’m looking forward to in the new year: